Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Feb. 06, last pic before diagnosis of lung cancerYesterday, Aug. 27th was the one year anniversary of my Mom's death.I did particularly well. I was more sad on Sunday morning, as she died on a Sunday.I know she is in a better place. Her life was hard and miserable most of the time.She made many bad choices that she regretted until the very end. She didn't see how God could forgive her "on her deathbed". She felt she wasn't deserving.I tried to explain to her that it's never too late to accept Christ as your personal savior. The benefit is: the sooner we do it, the more we get to enjoy the benefits of His love while we are on Earth!Look around. See the beauty in his creation. Recognize the daily blessings that come your way. The green light when you're in a hurry. The bird flying by your window putting on a show. A new checkstand opening just as you walk by looking for one. Your loved one calling just to say, "Hi". Finding the best sweater ever on the clearance table. They are everywhere!GOD is so good! He can help you make it through the most painful seasons of your life, if you just let Him. He's always there, waiting for you. If you don't know what to say, just say, "Help me". He will.I am so thankful for the awesome family and wonderful friends He has brought into my life. The love and support is what has helped me get through this last two years.I love you all dearly. Thank you for being a part of my journey.Aim

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

This is the cutest little train set! Eli had so much fun with it in therapy yesterday.When you press the conductor the whistle blows and you hear a train sound as it goes around the track. There is a Monkey and an Elephant riding in the traincar, and each makes the appropriate sound when you push them.Eli liked to grab the train and derail it. Typical boy, huh? He like to grab the conducter out of his seat, too. It was great!See his hand on the little monkey?

Here is Karla - his PT - working on his trunk control so he can "sit and play".

Sunday, August 19, 2007

We had a great turnout for Eli's party. Thank you to everyone who came!!The potluck food was fabuluous.

We had a little mishap with the cake. It was all MY fault! I ordered the cake a long time ago, to beat the summer wedding rush with the cake lady. I had planned to have his party on the 25th...and then needed to change the date to accomodate another family party. Oops! I forgot to call the cake lady and change it. So, she is going to do a smaller version of the VeggieTales cake and deliver it on Thursday - Eli's actual birth day.

I'm glad I made cupcakes - for pictures sake, anyway. Only two people at them.

But there was ice cream...and that made the kids happy!

Here is the Bob the Tomato pinata that I made. The kids had a blast ripping into him and getting the bounty of goodies: Teddy Grahams, Fish Crackers, Fig Newtons, Cars Gummy Snacks, Fruit Rolls, Kisses, and mini candy bars. The kids ranged in age from 1 to 14, so I had to be creative with the pinata stuffers. The adults loved the Fig Newtons! haha

The weather was perfect...PTL it didn't rain...He saved it for Sunday instead!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

August 10, 2007As most of you know, Eli gave us a scare Friday Morning! At about 9 am he woke up from a nap, and started coughing a croupy cough and spit up some thick secretions....and went into respiratory distress. I called 911 and we took an ambulance ride to the ER. He spent the night in ICU, and then Saturday afternoon in the Pediatric Unit...to make sure he wasn't getting a virus. He didn't have a fever or any symptoms of illness, they believe this happened when he had some reflux come up and it was thick, and he aspirated, and it sent his esophogus into a spasm, and his airway constricted. Due to his Tracheal Malasia (sp?) it can happen quickly for him because his airway is already compromised.

It was the scariest experience we have had so far! It took them a half an hour to get him stabilized. I was terrified. God was with us, but he sure did make us learn a little patience that morning. They got an IV in his arm, but it didn't want to work...and they needed to get the drug in him to help him breath! I was starting to get a little worked up, and the Doctor threatened to make me leave "if I caused a problem." Yeah, Ok. Get the handcuffs, then...and drag me out!

Anyway, after that, I just held Eli's hand and leg, and hunkered down beside the bed (trying to get out of the way of all the arms reaching in to him) and prayed until he started breathing again. I never want to go through that again. Please, God, hear my prayers...and let my son be healthy.

This picture was taken after they got him stablized, of course!

I had my camera in my purse, and decided to document

the event in Eli's scrapbook. A couple people looked at me funny, the Dr. included, but one woman knew why. She said, "are you a scrapbooker?" :)

There were 12-15 people in the room working on him. A few had left, but it was an interesting site, when I walked out of the room, and looked back in. I just had to have pictures.

We came home Saturday evening, and Eli is doing well. He's a little congested, and needy.

He has bruises up and down each arm from where they poked him so many times to get IV's going...and then redness when all the tape gets pulled off. Poor baby!

He's on Prednisone for two days and it keeps him wired, so naps are hard.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Montana and Doctor - the little lovebirds.They have a baby due in February 2008.(She's my niece, he's from Ghana, West Africa)They both attend Eastern Oregon Universityin LaGrande. I thought my family might like to seethis picture. :)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Ok. Now here's the deal. Eli doesn't need any presents for his birthday.I am not having a party to solicit gifts. However, some of you are so stubborn,that you won't take "No!" for an answer. So, here are some ideas...because I knowit can be a challenge thinking of things for him. Crayons won't work, unfortunately.

Receiving blankets - cotton/flannel - We can't have enough of these!

Onesies - size 24 months.

Crib Sheets

Boppy covers - Eli still uses his boppy several times a day while digesting his food.

Eli Jansen - The Star of the Blog!

My handsome little "Bug". Completely addicted to Despicable Me! Finally gave up listening to Elmo (hooray!) and now listens to his movie! Very opinionated about his music. (He comes by that honestly - my husband and I are both music lovers.) He's my: Bronco-riding, Chain-Loving, Pom-Pom shaking, Best-Shopping-Buddy-Ever, and makes me laugh every day!!

Amy - Wife, Mom, Blogger

8 years into this journey, and I'm amazed at the things that have happened in my life because of Eli. He is an inspiration to so many, and his smile can make anyone feel better, immediately. I never imagined that my son would be so awesome. I am blessed!